Google Do-Gooder Discount Leaves Churches to Beg: Stephen Carter

Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- I am not sure what exactly ledGoogle Inc. to decide to celebrate the 400th anniversary of theKing James Bible by making it harder for religious groups to dotheir work. But that is the practical effect of a set of changesin pricing policies adopted by the tech giant this year.

Until recently, Google offered discounts on many of itspaid services to nonprofit organizations, including churches.This past spring, with little fanfare, the company changed itspolicy. It created a new suite of applications, known as Googlefor Nonprofits, that includes significant discounts andadvantages for a range of Google products such as grants foradvertising on AdWords, free licenses for Google Earth Pro andthe option to raise funds through a “donate” button at GoogleCheckout.